Bernie Sanders Meme Becomes Force for Charity

What started out as a simple image of an eldery senator trying to keep warm during American President Joe Biden’s inauguration on 20 January, has gone from viral meme to a force for charitable good.

Seventy-nine-year-old Bernie Sanders, sitting with his arms and legs crossed on a folding chair while wearing a brown parka jacket and wooly mittens, has been Photoshopped into multiple humorous images – which he saw as an opportunity to help out the less fortunate.

His campaign website has sold shirts and stickers imprinted with the image of “Chairman Sanders”; the proceeds have been donated to organisations in his home state of Vermont that help senior citizens, such as the “Meals on Wheels” programme.

Within five days, the merchandise had sold out, raising $1.8 million.

In a written statement on Wednesday, 27 January, Sanders announced: “[My wife Jane] and I were amazed by all the creativity shown by so many people over the last week. But even this amount of money is no substitute for action by Congress.”

Image Credit: Source